


Teeth of the Storm

by Timewaster123456789



Series: Heirverse: Phase 1 (Game) [4]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Established Relationship, Foxes, Hurt/Comfort, Introspection, Light Angst, M/M, Original Character(s), Pet fic, Voice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-20
Updated: 2019-03-20
Packaged: 2019-11-26 04:39:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18175955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Timewaster123456789/pseuds/Timewaster123456789
Summary: How Aizen finds Tsuku.





	Teeth of the Storm

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing. Ties to 'Thunderstorm' in LWaT and they should be read together. Written to 'Serotonin' by Karizma. Yes you can in fact play 'Cyanide' by Metallica on piano, well I can't and you probably can't but it is possible so type 'cyanide piano' into youtube and check it out. Lastly the lyrics are from Circles by Yusuke Kira.

Aizen stalked home, as ever the monotony of dealing with idiots day in and day out bored him. Being forced to feign concern about petty missions like a doctor cleaning blood instead of dressing the wound. It was beneath him!

Were it not for the fact that he would have to leave Gin, he would be looking forward to his defection. He couldn't wait to see the look on their self-righteous faces, weak morons that they were, when he revealed his power, his true colors.

Perfect, he thought as rain began to pour from the heavens. He was so sick of it all, knowing that everything he did would be meaningless. When it all was said and done he'd walk away and until then he was just going through the motions. Thunder pealed nearby.

It was boring him to no end, Gin the only break in the monotony and even then Gin was young, naïve. A fun toy to play with but he barely knew the half of it. He put on a show and Gin lapped it up, but at the end of the day... He was pulled from his thoughts by a quiet, pathetic yipping. He assumed that Cherry had somehow gotten caught in the storm and followed the sound to its source, one of the only three beings in existence that he would do such a thing for.

' _Four beings,'_ the voice added, because of course it did, it wasn't like he was already miserable or anything.

He was surprised, on approaching the end of the alley to see a fox much like cherry but with black tips on its ears and tail. He shook his head in disgust at the half-drowned thing and turned away trudging back through the deluge. He heard a splash and looked back to see it struggling through a puddle with one paw held off the ground. How pathetic and yet he felt a strange kinship to the fox as it stared up defiantly as though saying 'yeah I got this, I'm simply curious'.

It reminded him of Gin's youthful bravado and vulnerability. He turned and continued on his way, but looked back. The fox froze and look at him quizzically as the rain pelted around them, again he moved on. The fox didn't follow merely sat and watched him leave, drenched to the bone, obviously underfed, starving to death in the rain. It was just a dumb mongrel, too weak to find food, pathetic, worthless.

Weak, miserable and yet it made no sound and didn't attempt to follow him again. It looked more like one of Gin's bleeding heart, charity cases than the charming young man himself. For all that though it didn't seek his help again. He approached the fox and it snarled, he sighed and look around until he found a sack lying among the refuse of alley. He approached again ready to bind it with kido if it got too aggressive.

Really you'd think the mongrel would be smart enough not to bite the person trying to help it. He muttered curses as he knelt to wrangle the injured animal into its sack, water soaking into his uniform. Once he got it inside it stuck its head out and gave his hand a single dignified lick. He stood and splashed through the streets with his aloof new companion.

He imagined how the little fox must have felt alone, fending for itself. Admittedly, the sodden sack wasn't exactly a warm, safe environment but it was better than the alternative. At least it was quieter than Cherry, silent in fact, still he wondered why he was bringing the damn thing home. He wouldn't have once, not before Gin, and that was the crux of it. Gin would have been horrified if he'd let it die and even if Gin would never know for some reason he couldn't bring himself to do it anyway.

' _You still think you can be worthy of him?'_ The voice mocked.

' _No,'_  he replied truthfully. It was such a small meaningless thing it didn't matter. It made him feel better though to know that even in a small meaningless way he could be a little bit like the person Gin saw. Not that he could ever be the person Gin needed, but it was something. He tried to make himself believe that.

When he got home he showed the fox to Gin and played it off like a matter of expediency, like he hadn't sympathized with it for whatever fool reason. That Gin openly ogled his unkempt, drowned rat appearance did nothing to improve his temper. He felt like that often enough, he didn't need his appearance to reflect it.

He dried the fox off and would have sworn he could feel its gratitude even as it waited imperiously for him to finish with towel. When he was done, it watched him fluffy and annoyed like he'd done it some kind of harm. Gin joined them, cooing over the newcomer and clearly not believing his story of Tsuku—as Aizen had named him—following him home. Aizen gently picked up his injured paw and felt Gin's eyes boring into him.

"The ointment and bandages in the cabinet," he requested and Gin handed him the items but kept watching. He bent to the task of wrapping Tsuku's paw and wished Gin would stop gawking at him like he was some rare bird. Tsuku squeaked and struggled but Gin put a hand on his fur and whispered soothing words, expertly calming the little fox while Aizen finished dressing the wound.

X

The next afternoon Aizen returned from work and settled down on the couch with a book. Gin was out with Rangiku and he was left with blissful silence. He found that he didn't quite appreciate it the way he used to though, his ears attuned for the voice to pop into the void as it tended to when he was alone. He couldn't tell if the quiet laughter in his head was it or his imagination.

He remembered the soft smile Gin had given him when he'd said 'you saved him' like Aizen had confirmed something. It had warmed him through yet he felt dirty, he wasn't half the person Gin saw and if he ever learned the truth…

He felt something hit his hand where it lay on the couch holding the unread book. He looked down to see Tsuku and put the book down as the fox crawled into his lap.

He stroked Tsuku absently, thinking about the fox and the storm. His mind wandered back to a conversation he'd once had with Gin about standing with someone in rain. Initially he'd thought it'd been Gin's subtle way of saying 'yeah if it's someone worth it'. Now he wasn't so sure it'd been meant that way, though he could freely admit that he wasn't worth standing by. No one in their right mind would disagree with that and even if he were it was still too dangerous.

He couldn't risk Gin like that, not in the long term. He'd never say it but between the tame façade he kept up to protect his place in Soul Society and the game he played with Gin he was getting tired. It was so hard to just keep getting up and juggling all the damn acts, never able to just be himself. He was even starting to slip up around Gin and that was unacceptable.

Tsuku licked his hand, he marveled at how calm the little male was compared to his other foxes, maybe he wouldn't regret this after all. It felt good to let his guard down just a little. This fox was first thing he'd had that could be described as a friend since Yuki died. Maybe that would make pushing Gin away bearable. He cut off that line of thought, he couldn't get attached or he'd wind up in the same damn place, with the little fox in danger. No he would have to leave it with Gin, for an absurd moment he wanted to just give up. Why keep fighting when every time he got a handhold it broke off? He drew an unsteady breath and shook off the morbid thoughts. Tsuku licked his hand some more and wagged its tail as if to say 'good job'. He fought a smile and rose carrying the fox to the piano he began playing one of his compositions for Gin.

_Sleeping peacefully_

_Is who I used to be._

_Until I fell so deep_

_A never-ending tragedy_

The fox let out a keening whine and pawed at its ear.

"You don't like my playing?" he asked faux-offended. "That's the problem with animals and by that I mean most people too. No taste. Well one of the problems anyway."

He tried a couple of other pieces and was finally rewarded with happy yips as he began a piano version of 'Cyanide'. He wondered if the fox would still like it if it knew the words. He got lost in playing and before long heard the door open. He rose to greet Gin as he entered.

"I see ya' two've bonded," Gin said surprised and clearly pleased.

"I seem to have that effect," he said with a pointed look and Gin blushed. In truth, he was just as surprised to find he'd carried the little animal out with him.


End file.
